Reunion
by R.B. Lynn
Summary: Dumbledore goes to Godric's Hollow one night to receive the surprise of his life. (Rated T to be safe) (Originally on Wattpad)
1. Return

A/N 11/19/2017

 _This is a story that's originally posted on my Wattpad account on 4/17/2016. I haven't done any major editing, just fixed some grammatical errors, so I'm sure it's not my best work. I kind of ran out of inspiration for this, so I took a break from it to start on We May Change the World._

 _I hope you enjoy this! I'll be uploading the rest of the chapters soon after this._

* * *

 **Reunion**

Chapter One

Return

-Written by R.B. Lynn-

* * *

Lily and James Potter were dead. That had been certain for fourteen years. It was a horrible, bitter truth that anyone would want to deny. But it was the truth nonetheless. And yet, Lily Potter found herself laying down, and she did not feel dead.

In fact, she felt very much alive. Alive, and suffocating. Dirt was spilling around her, and her mouth was filling with it. she clawed around in the soil, hoping someone, anyone, would help her. Then something miraculous happened. Her hands grasped a wooden stick among the dirt that was quickly filling her lungs.

Her wand.

Lily managed to croak out a single spell. "Reducto!" The soil that surrounded her burst out in all directions, and she gasped for air and coughed up dirt. She barely allowed herself a moment of rest before panic seized her. James. Where was James? She quickly took in her surroundings, and it only took her a moment to realise that she was in a graveyard. She could figure out why she was in a cemetery later, but now she needed to find James.

She looked behind her and realised that not only was she in a cemetery, she had been laying in a grave. Her grave. She immediately scanned the words on the tombstone next to hers, confirming that it was James's, and shot a spell, blasting chunks of dirt and grass in all directions. Lily didn't dare look inside the hole she had just created.

After a few moments that seemed to last forever, James finally hoisted himself up out of the hole, gasping. Lily, in too much of a hurry to reach her husband to stand, crawled over to him and pulled him out the rest of the way. She clung to him, and they both sat there, without speaking, clinging desperately to each other. Both of them were trying to piece together what was happening.

They had been there for who knows how long when Lily heard a sound. The sound of crunching twigs and leaves broke the silence. James looked up, and Lily knew that he had heard it too.

Someone was there.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, thinking of ways he could make his own flavour of lemon drop when he noticed something unusual was happening.

One of the many instruments laying around his office dinged and let out a puff of smoke. Another instrument that looked similar to a crystal ball swirled with black smoke. Various other instruments went off, dinging and tooting, swirling and puffing all at once. Dumbledore immediately went to his feet and studied the instrument nearest to his desk. He glanced at a second one, but then he seemed to have gotten the information he needed at paid no attention to the other instruments.

He then paced around the centre of the room a bit, then nodded, as if he had decided on something. He then disapparated without warning, and it was as if he had never been in the office to begin with.

Godric's Hollow was a quiet, peaceful place. But at the moment it almost seemed, to Albus Dumbledore at least, too quiet for its own good. But it may have just seemed that way because of what he was about to do. Or rather, what he thought he was about to witness.

He had apparated in the corner of a dark alley. It was night time, and he didn't think that anyone would be outside at this time, especially in a quiet place like Godric's Hollow, but he didn't want to take any chances. He walked a little ways until he reached the local cemetery. The resting place of Lily and James Potter, and the last place he had seen his mother and sister.

He paused briefly at the graves of his mother and sister, then continued on. He wasn't here for them. He walked past dozens of tombstones, marking the end of dozens of ancient families, wizard and muggle alike. Finally, he reached his destination. And what he saw truly surprised him, and not much could surprise him anymore.

In front of the graves of Lily and James Potter, two figures sat together, holding each other like their lives depended on it. In front of the tombstones marking James's and Lily's bodies, two large holes were where their bodies should have been. Dumbledore knew without looking that the holes would be empty. He took a few steps forward almost in a daze, trying to figure out what this could mean... it couldn't possibly...

As he stepped forward, one of the figures looked up, and he stopped in his tracks.

He was looking at the face of James Potter.

"Who are you, and why have you decided to impersonate these two people?" James blinked. Dumbledore was here? But why?

"Professor, it's me. James." Lily released her embrace, and they both stood up.

"Dumbledore," Lily said, her voice quavering a bit, "Professor Dumbledore it's us. Lily and James Potter."

The professor leant against a nearby tree for support and shook his head. "That's not possible."

Lily frowned. She had suspected it when she saw where they were but hadn't really wanted to believe it. But with his reaction, she had to ask. "Dumbledore... do people think we're dead?" James looked at his wife but said nothing. They both knew the answer. It was clear that they had been underground, under tombstones with their names on them.

The old professor stood up straight and shook his head. "No, it's more than that. You were, without a doubt and by any definition, dead."

Lily felt dread settle in her stomach. "Professor... how long has it been? Where's Harry?"

"Where's our son?" James asked, wrapping an arm around his wife. Dumbledore glanced around.

"We shouldn't talk about that here. But first things first." He waved his wand, and both Potters were clean and their clothes were repaired. Neither of them had even thought about what they must have looked like.

Dumbledore held out his arms for them, and they each took hold of him.

They apparated back inside of his office. James frowned. "I thought it was impossible to apparate or disapparate inside of the school grounds.

Dumbledore chuckled a bit. "Being Headmaster does have its perks," His face grew serious, "Now, there are many things to discuss, and I'm sure you're both eager to see your son." Lily was about to interrupt him, but Albus held up his hand to stop her. "But I must first be completely sure that you are the real James and Lily Potter."

Lily's lip quivered, but James took her hand and replied, "Yes, I'm sure that's necessary."

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe this calls for some Veritaserum, wouldn't you say?" he flicked his wand, and a bottle of a liquid as clear as water was summoned to his hand.

"Now," He said pouring a few drops into two glasses that were sitting on his desk. "While most of my doubt has been cleared, and I do judge myself to be excellent at knowing when people are telling the truth, I would like to have some reassurance."

"Professor, if you don't mind me asking," Lily Potter bit her bottom lip, "If everyone believes that we're dead, why do you believe that we're telling the truth?"

The professor paused while considering his answer. Finally, he said, "Because, my dear, at heart I am a foolish and trusting person. But there is no doubt in my mind that you are Lily and James Potter.

"Now," He said, handing a glass to each of them. "Let's get this settled, shall we?"

"What is your name?"

"James Potter."

"Who were your best friends at school?"

"Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Though they also went by the names Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail. I was Prongs."

Dumbledore nodded. "And what was the biggest secret the four of you shared?"

James hesitated. "We were all illegal animagi, except for Remus."

Dumbledore nodded, then turned to Lily. "What is your name?"

"Lily Potter, previously Lily Evans."

"Do you have a son?"

"Yes. His name is Harry."

"Why did you name him Harry?"

"I remembered that once my sister told me no one with a common name would do great things. I wanted to prove her wrong."

Dumbledore nodded and waved his wand to remove the effects of Veritaserum. "You both pass with flying colours." James and Lily both let out a sigh of relief.

James took hold of his wife's hand. "Dumbledore, please take us to our son now." Dumbledore held up his hand. "In due time. I thought that, before you meet him, you might want to watch him, see the person that he's become since... you last saw him."

"Professor, how long has it been?!" Lily's voice was near hysterics.

Dumbledore sighed and gestured for them to sit down. They did so, and he finally answered their question. "I'm afraid that it has been over fourteen years since you were murdered by Voldemort." Lily gasped and squeezed James's hand.

"Fourteen years... Harry'll be fifteen now." James wrapped an arm around her in comforting her.

"Professor," James said, standing up from his seat, "Take us to our son."

* * *

 _Edited 4/18/2016_

 _6/2/2016_

 _6/16/2017_

 _11/19/2017_


	2. Invisibility

A/N 11/19/2017

 _Here's chapter two! Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Reunion**

Chapter Two

Invisibility

-Written by R.B. Lynn-

* * *

Three figures apparated outside of number twelve Grimmauld Place. One was a familiar figure with a long silver beard, but the other two...

James and Lily Potter stared at the space between number eleven and number thirteen. Dumbledore had told them about number twelve beforehand, but it was still a little hard to imagine an entire house there.

As they approached, the buildings shook and separated, another building appearing between them.

"Whoa. Nice place, Sirius." James mumbled to himself.

Dumbledore turned to them. "I think it best," He began, glancing around to make sure they were alone, "that we keep your return a secret for now." The Potters began to protest, but Dumbledore held up a hand to stop them. "We will, of course, reveal it to a few people. Harry, Sirius, and Remus of course. And it'll be difficult to keep Ron and Hermione out of the loop, and Harry'll tell them anyway."

Lily looked at the old professor with a confused expression. "Ron and Hermione?"

Dumbledore smiled at her. "They're the two best friends Harry's had since he came to Hogwarts. The three have been almost inseparable since their first year. In fact, they have a habit of getting into quite a bit of trouble. Just like another group of friends I used to know." He said, smiling at James with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

James laughed. "I wonder who that could be!"

"But the point is, I think it would be wise if only the minimal amount of people are told."

James nodded. "I understand. If we've really been dead for fourteen years like you say..." He trailed off.

"Then it'll be best for everyone if we stay in the shadows for a while." Lily finished for him.

Lily looked up at her husband. "This is going to be difficult. I don't know how I'll be able to face Harry... my baby boy..." The tears she had been holding back until now finally broke free. She buried her face in James's shirt.

He held her, and did his best to comfort her. But he didn't know how to comfort her when he was thinking the exact same thing. He wanted to cry too. But he had to be strong for Lily, if for nothing else.

This was one of the few moments in his life that Albus Dumbledore felt like he didn't belong. As he stood there watching the two Potters hold each other, he wondered how he would ever bring himself to tell them the truth about the hardships Harry had gone through in the fourteen years since their death...

"I hate to interrupt," He said, taking a step towards the Potters, "But we should move if we really don't want you two to be seen."

James nodded. There would be time to think and talk about this later.

Dumbledore cast a disillusionment charm over the two Potters so they wouldn't be seen as they entered the shabbily painted black door that marked number twelve Grimmauld Place.

* * *

The first thing James noticed as he walked through the door was that it was dark. With a flick of Dumbledore's wand, old-fashioned gas lamps that lined the hall were lit. Just then Molly Weasley turned the corner and spotted them. Or rather, spotted Dumbledore.

She gasped in shock and nearly dropped the pile of plates she was holding. "Oh! Dumbledore! I thought you couldn't make it!"

"A change of plans, Mrs Weasley. In fact, I think I might end up staying for a day or two."

"A few days?! But I'm sure that you have much more important things to do than-"

"The only thing awaiting me at the castle is a stack of paperwork, and I'm sure that the topics discussed here are far more important than a few more ramblings from the ministry." Both Lily and James wanted to ask what the ministry had to do with anything, but they kept quiet.

"Right. We were just about to start a meeting, in fact. Just down the hall."

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley. I'll be there in just a moment." Molly nodded and went back to whatever she was doing before she had seen Dumbledore. Dumbledore turned to where James and Lily were standing behind him. "I am sure that you have many questions, and they will be answered with time. I think you should listen to the meeting and watch from the corner. Harry should be coming soon, and many of your questions will be answered in that meeting."

"Harry's coming?" Lily yearned to see her son.

"Yes. I had been planning to summon him here in a few days, but I think that plans can be changed in this instance. But there are a few things you should be warned about-" Just then the form of Mundungus Fletcher appeared, or rather, apparated, in front of him.

"Mundungus!" Dumbledore was clearly surprised at seeing the shaggy looking man. "What on earth are you doing here?! You're supposed to be-"

"Watching Harry Potter, I know, I know!" The two Potters, hidden from sight, stiffened at the mention of their son. Why was he being watched? "But, well... um... you see... I-I uh..."

"Spit it out Mundungus!" Molly had appeared at the end of the hall to see what was happening.

"W-well, I may have left my post early and..."

"MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" James and Lily, not to mention Molly and the others who had now appeared at the end of the hall, all jumped at Dumbledore's shouting. James noticed Lupin in the group, but his attention was quickly drawn back to Dumbledore and Mundungus.

"Well, that's not even the bad part..."

"IF ANYTHING HAPPENED, MUNDUNGUS YOU BETTER-"

"Hold on, hold on! Ol' Figgy was there and saw what happened and told me to tell you right away, so-" Lily clung to James. She was terrified. For both her son and Mundungus Fletcher. She thought Dumbledore might literally bite his head off.

"YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL, MUNDUNGUS, THAT MS. FIGG IS A SQUIB! THERE IS NOTHING SHE CAN DO TO PROTECT HARRY!"

A red-headed boy appeared from some stairs that were visible from the hallway, followed by a girl with curly brown hair and a smaller red-headed girl. Two more redheads also appeared, and they must have been twins because they looked identical.

"Apparently there were some dementors and-"

"DEMENTORS?! YOU LET DEMENTORS NEAR HIM?!" Dumbledore grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Don't panic! He made a Patronus and sent 'em away so there's nothing to worry about!"

"A Patronus?!"

"Well, yeah." Dumbledore sighed and released Mundungus.

"So he definitely used magic..."

"That's the only way to make a Patronus, 'ain't it?" Dumbledore sighed again and turned to the crowd that had gathered at the end of the hallway.

"We have to act quickly. Arthur, I have to go to the Ministry. Harry will have received a letter informing him that he's been expelled. I need you to send him an owl explaining quickly and telling him to not leave the house no matter what. No matter what happens he must not leave the house and must not use any magic. And tell Sirius, he'll want to know." Arthur nodded and quickly rushed away from the hall. "Lupin, find Alastor, Nymphadora-"

"I'm here! And I'd appreciate not being called Nymphadora if you don't mind." Someone near her mumbled something to her about timing and Dumbledore continued.

"Yes, take Tonks, Kingsley, and others from the order who are trustworthy and prepare to bring Harry here. With recent events, we can't wait another moment to bring him here."

Molly turned to the children on the stairs and said, "Alright. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, go upstairs. We'll come get you when the meeting's over."

The girl with the curly hair that the Potters now knew was Hermione frowned. "Or if there's any news about Harry, right?"

"Of course dear, now up you go." They all went back up the stairs in single file, Hermione mumbling something like "I think I read something once that could help..."

Albus walked back and forth across the hall as if pacing. But it was really a disguise so he could mutter to Lily and James, "Stay quiet and stay hidden. Everything'll get sorted. Don't go to the meeting without me." And with that he disapparated.

With Albus gone and no point in delaying it any further, the members of the Order of the Phoenix Gathered in the dining room for a meeting. Dumbledore had told the Potters not to attend the meeting without him, so they went upstairs to try and see if they could find where the kids went.

To their surprise, they were still at the top of the stairs. At least, two of them were. The twins, Fred and George were leading over the edge, holding what seemed to be an ear on a string.

Lily dragged James away before he could get any ideas. They tried to ignore the decorations that suggested dark wizards, but it was hard to ignore the row of house elf heads mounted on the wall.

* * *

They found a door that was open a bit and peeked inside to see Ron and Hermione inside. Lily squeezed through the opening first since she was smaller, but when James tried to get through the door moved, and Ron noticed. He walked over to the door and closed it, puzzled, then turned to Hermione who was sitting on a bed.

"Hermione," He whispered. She looked up from the book she was reading. "You don't think that there could be anybody, y'know... invisible in this room?"

Hermione snapped her book closed and looked around the room. "I don't think so, Ron. The only way to make yourself invisible is with an invisibility cloak, and their extremely rare..."

"But Harry has one!" James smiled. He had given his invisibility cloak to Dumbledore shortly before they died. He must have given it to Harry.

"Yes, but it was passed down to him. Still... there is a disillusionment charm..." She mumbled the last part to herself.

"A dishil... vision what charm?" Ron stumbled over the word.

"A disillusionment charm. It makes a person look like their surroundings."

"So... an invisibility charm then?" Hermione sighed at having to explain.

"No, Ron. A disillusionment charm isn't perfect. You'd still be able to see the person moving around, it would just be harder to see them. The only person that can make a disillusionment charm strong enough to be completely invisible is Dumbledore."

"So... if someone was in this room, then they'd have to have an invisibility cloak?"

"Yes, and like I said they're very rare. It's a mystery how Harry's dad even got one." To be honest, James didn't know himself. The cloak had been given to him by his father, and his father before that. He had no idea how the cloak got in the family. "Besides, even invisibility cloaks have their limits. They're really just normal cloaks with extremely complicated spells and potions on them. And as a result they..."

"Yeah? They what?"

Hermione looked up at Ron, her face looking confused. "Harry's cloak was his dad's..."

"Yeah, got it as a Christmas gift from Dumbledore in our first year. Was a bit of a surprise when he first put it on. Looked like his head was floating. Why?"

"Normal invisibility cloaks wear out quickly because of all the spells and potions used on them. But Harry's hasn't shown the slightest sign of wear or tear."

"I'm not sure what normal about an invisibility cloak, but so what?" Hermione stood up from the bed so quickly that Ron jumped.

"So what?! Ron, it's physically - no, magically impossible!" She rushed out of the room and didn't even bother to shut the door.

Ron leaned out of the door and called after her. "Hermione! Where are you going?!"

"To see if there are any books on invisibility in this house!" Hermione's shouting set of a horrible screaming throughout the whole house.

"MUDBLOODS! TRAITORS! STANDING IN THE HOUSE OF MY -"

"Oh, will you just SHUT UP ALREADY?!" James left the room silently to see what all the commotion was about. And what he saw made him grin. At the end of the hall was a man with wild black hair. He looked worn, tired, and just plain older than the last time James had seen him, but there was no mistaking him.

He was looking at his old friend, Sirius Black.

* * *

4/19/2016 (Original A/N on Wattpad)

 _A/N Hello all my lovely readers! Just wanted to mention that Dumbledore did place a second charm on the Potters so they could see each other._

 _And Dumbledore can see them too._

 _Because he's Dumbledore._

 _No other explanation needed._


	3. Observations

A/N 11/19/2017

 _Anything in italics is a quote from the book_ 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' _._

* * *

 **Reunion**

Chapter Three

Observations

-Written by R.B. Lynn-

* * *

James grinned at the sight of his old friend. He looked older than when he had last seen him, and he seemed tired and irritable, but it was still very good to see him. Lupin was around here as well. That was nearly all of the marauders other than Peter, he wondered where Wormtail was...

"BLOOD TRAITOR! FILTH OF MY OFFSPRING! HOW DARE YOU ENTER THE NOBLE HOUSE OF BLA-" At that moment Sirius yanked the curtains closed over a portrait of an old woman wearing a black cap, who had been screaming as if she was being tortured.

"That's better," Sirius said as the screaming finally stopped. He turned around, and for a moment James thought he was looking at him before he remembered that he was invisible. "Ron, will you find Hermione and ask her to please remember to be quiet, especially in this hallway."

"Sure. Did ya hear about Harry?"

Sirius sighed. "Yes, I sent him a note telling him to not leave the house."

"They're not really going to expel him are they?" Sirius shook his head.

"Normally, I'd say no. But with the Ministry as it is, I think they'll try anything. They're being blind to the truth that's staring them in the face. As it is, I can't even leave the house as a dog." James noted the bitterness in Sirius's voice. If he had really been unable to leave the house, James could only imagine what that had been like. Sirius was not the type of person to sit still. "Dumbledore managed to convince them to give him a trial, though, and that's something." Sirius began to pace. "There was something strange in his note, though, and I can't figure it out."

"What was it?"

"He said, 'there's a wonderful surprise for you in the house, and if circumstances are right it may reveal itself to you.' What do you think it could mean?"

"No idea. I'm sure Dumbledore'll explain when he gets back."

James knew what it meant. And Lily did too.

Dumbledore had given them the go-ahead to tell Sirius.

* * *

James wanted to tell Sirius, he really did. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought it would be better to wait for Dumbledore. Sirius was likely to assume they were frauds, and who knew what kind of nasty spell he would send their way before they had a chance to explain.

James explained his hesitance to Lily and she agreed. "And besides," She had said to him, "I want Harry to be the first person to see us. Other than Dumbledore, of course."

Maybe it was selfish of them to not tell anyone that they were there, that they were alive when they were sure everyone would want to know as soon as possible. But they felt Harry should be the first person to know.

Just then they heard a cry from the room Ron and Hermione were in. (Hermione had returned to the room after finding a dissapointing lack of books in the house.)

"She bit me!" The Potters went into the room to see what had happened. "Look, Hermione! It's bleeding! Hedwig?!"

When the Potters entered the room, they saw that a snowy owl had, in fact, pecked Ron's hand until it bled. They saw scratched on Hermione's hands that suggested the owl had done the same to her.

"Hedwig, let me see the note on your leg," Hermione said, cautiously approaching the owl. She successfully got close enough to the owl to remove a roll of parchment that was attached to her leg. She quickly scanned the letter and sighed. "It's Harry."

"Of course it is, who else would be using Hedwig?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's informing us about the Dementor attacks and asking for information." She groaned. "Oh, I wish we could tell him about all this. But with the attack, Dumbledore'll have to bring him here."

"Yeah, well he didn't have to have Hedwig peck us half to death."

"What would you have done if Harry and I were denying to tell you anything about where we were or what we were doing, and you were stuck in your least favourite place in the world?"

Ron frowned. "Like where?"

"I don't know! Um... say you were stuck in... a pit full of spiders for the whole summer! And Harry and I wouldn't do anything to help you. What would you do?"

"I'd do a lot worse than send my owl to peck your hands!" Ron said, flinching at the thought of being stuck in a pit of spiders the whole summer.

"See, you can't blame him! And besides..." Ron never found out what came after that 'besides', because then Lily had accidentally stubbed her toe on the bedside table. She sucked in a sharp breath and held her toe.

Hermione froze. "Ron... what was that you said about someone being in this room?"

"Well... yeah that's what I said, but you told me it was impossible!"

"Nearly impossible..." Hermione whispered.

"No, you definitely said impossible," Ron mumbled.

Lily froze what should she do? The door was closed behind her, she couldn't leave without causing more suspicion. James gestured for her to go to the opposite end of the room. She did so, and he stood at the end opposite her. The message was clear. If they found one of them, the other would take the chance to escape from the room.

Just then the doorknob turned, and all thoughts of invisible trespassers were driven out of Hermione's mind. She flung herself at a figure that had just appeared at the door.

 _"HARRY! Ron, he's here, Harry's here! We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless - but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us - the dementors! When we heard..."_ Lily and James wanted so much to see their son, but they both knew that this wouldn't be a good time, and Hermione seemed to have him occupied. Instead, James tiptoed close to Lily and motioned for her to follow him. They silently left the room. The door creaked a bit, but Ron and Hermione were distracted by Harry and didn't notice.

Lily hesitated outside the door, hoping to get a glimpse of her son. Both Potters lingered there for a moment before Ron closed the door. They hadn't even gotten to see his face. "One thing's for certain, he definitely has your hair." Lily ruffled James' hair. James gave a soft laugh.

"I can't wait 'till we can meet our son properly." He told her, holding her close to him. "I want so much to get to know him. I wonder if he plays Quidditch. Maybe he's a chaser like I was!"

"Oh, I hope not."

"Why not?"

"The chasers always seem to get into the most trouble."

James laughed. "That's true!" They both laughed a bit, then stared at the door, imagining their son just on the other side.

"Come on," James said, pulling his wife away, "Nothing will be accomplished by staring that door. Let's go see if Dumbledore's come back, then we can meet him for real." Lily looked up at her husband and smiled as they bade their way down the stairs.

As a matter of fact, Dumbledore had just arrived. He had apparated on the front porch and was just entering the hall. "Molly, I wonder if there's an empty room that I could use for a moment?"

"Of course! There's one upstairs, follow me." She led Dumbledore and, without her knowledge, the Potters upstairs to a room that was empty except for a large tapestry covering the walls. James only glanced at it, but it seemed to be a family tree.

Dumbledore closed the door after thanking Mrs Weasley. Dumbledore then flicked his wand, and the disillusionment charm lifted. "I think that now I can answer some of your questions. I'm sure that after observing the occupants of this house, you have more than a few more added to your list."

"Well, first," James began, wiping off his glasses on his shirt, "Why can't Sirius leave the house? And why are there so many people here anyway?"

"Well, I'm sure that you have noticed the slightly disturbing decorations in this house." It was hard to miss. "I should begin by explaining that this house is Sirius's."

"This is Sirius's house?!"

"Yes, it belongs to the Black family but since Sirius is the last black left, it goes to him."

"But I still don't understand why he can't leave, and why so many people are here."

"I suppose it would be easier to explain why Sirius can't leave first. You see, Voldemort found you because you were betrayed by... by someone. Sirius confronted this person, but they killed twelve muggles and made it seem like Sirius was responsible for your deaths and the deaths of those twelve muggles."

Lily and James stood there in stunned silence. They both suddenly found it difficult to breathe. "Who? Who would do that?" Lily finally managed to speak.

Dumbledore hesitated. "Peter Pettigrew." James gasped.

"But... but that's impossible! Peter wouldn't betray us to - to Voldemort! "

"I know that it's difficult to believe, I myself didn't want to believe that Peter had betrayed you. But no matter how much you deny the truth, it is still the truth."

James just stared at Dumbledore, unable to comprehend that Peter - Peter - had betrayed them. But Lily bit her lip.

"I can believe it." James looked at her with shock. "Peter was always a gentle boy. I can't imagine him holding up against Voldemort's torture forever." Dumbledore couldn't bring himself to say that he doubted torture played much of a part in his betrayal.

James hung his head in defeat. "Now... I can see remember little things, signs that he would betray us. But, Sirius... Surely if you knew he was innocent, you could have convinced someone!" Dumbledore hung his head.

"I am ashamed to say that I believed he was guilty as well. It was only two years ago when people began to realize the truth. Lupin realized it first. Harry somehow came across that rather remarkable map that you had made. He mentioned to Lupin that he had seen Peter's name on the map, and Lupin began to realize Sirius's innocence.

"You see, Peter, or as you called him, Wormtail, had disguised himself as a pet rat named Scabbers for many years, and had 'belonged' to Ronald Weasley. The full story is quite a remarkable tale, but I suggest that you ask Harry and Sirius, as I wasn't there at the time.

"But I'm afraid we may have gone a bit off topic. Sirius, because so many believed his guilt and with so many eyewitnesses, there was no other choice but to send him to Azkaban." Lily gasped. "And I'm sorry to say that he spent twelve much undeserved years there without a trial.

"Once the whole truth was uncovered, the plan was to capture Peter so Sirius could be cleared. Unfortunately, Peter escaped and Sirius is still a wanted man. Unfortunately, Voldemort will now know of Sirius's Animagus form, and it is no longer a reliable disguise. As I'm sure you know, Sirius is not a man who likes to sit still, and it has been trying on his patience. Especially being stuck in the house of his childhood... it does not hold many pleasant memories for him."

Sirius had not spoken to James of his childhood home often, and when he did it was most often with loathing and disgust in his voice. It had even gotten to the point where Sirius had moved in with James when they were sixteen. He could only imagine what it was like for Sirius to be stuck in this place again.

"But, what about Voldemort? What's he been up to?"

"That night in Godric's Hollow, Voldemort tried to kill Harry. But the killing curse backfired, and Voldemort lost all his power. He couldn't kill Harry because, when You, Lily, sacrificed yourself for your son, and that gave Harry the greatest protection in the world. Voldemort couldn't hurt him, he couldn't even touch him. And as a result, he disappeared for many years.

"But last year, Voldemort came back. Again, I suggest you ask Harry about it. But I ask that you do not press for details, it was not by any means a pleasant experience for him."

"You mean Harry was there?!" Lily shrieked.

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "I am sad to say he was. He was put in a position where he had no other choice but to be there, and... well, it would be better to ask Harry. But once again, please do not press him for it. I am sure you understand."

Lily bit her lip like she always did when she was nervous. The more she heard about Harry, the more nervous she was to meet him.

"With Voldemort's return, it has called for the Order of the Phoenix to be reformed. The ministry has been... most reluctant to admit his return, so we must be very careful about how we do things. Sirius offered this house as our headquarters."

"That explains a lot," James said.

Then they heard Molly's voice calling from downstairs, announcing that dinner was ready.

"Now, let's go see your son. After dinner, of course, I find that shocking news is always better to handle on a full stomach."

* * *

4/22/2016 (Original A/N from Wattpad)

 _A/N This turned out to be mainly just filler so things could get explained to Lily and James. Hope you liked it anyway, though._


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